Sensational-Adelaide.com

AtD wrote:I would expect the laneway would have a fairly constant flow of service traffic, because there's loading docks for some very large buildings there. There wouldn't be anything else suitable within reasonable distance. The type of loading docks in the lane accept entire shipping containers as well as pallets, which need access directly to the building. You wouldn't be able to ask Toys-R-Us to accept deliveries from Grenfell Street and wheel them in, for example. Big-box retailing doesn't work like that.

In the pie-in-the-sky world, the ACC (or someone) could construct an underground common loading dock that is available for use of all local tenants.

Omicron wrote:I propose we force Toys 'R Us to move out so as to reclaim the lane for our purposes.

Will wrote:In Melbourne some of their laneways are closed to traffic between 10:00AM to 10:00PM. I can't see why the same could not happen in Twin Street. Toys-r-Us could easily organise themselves so as to receive their delivieries during the 12 hour period when the lane would be open to traffic.

Pub to pop up for Adelaide Fringe

A sleepy city laneway is about to become the scene of burlesque dancing, live cabaret, quirky theatre shows and Adelaide’s newest “pop-up” pub.

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Arcade Lane, between Rundle Mall and Grenfell St, will host more than 150 performances during its debut at the 2010 Adelaide Fringe Festival in March.

The old Regent Theatre will reopen for the first time in six years to stage most of the shows, and a temporary “pop-up” bar will serve up bevvies and food for Fringe-goers.

Event organiser, designer and ex-publican Ross Stanley said the two remaining Regent cinemas - earmarked for future development and unused since 2004 - would be transformed into theatre hubs, each hosting up to five shows a night.

“It’s great to be able to use the space again - I saw Star Wars in that cinema,” Mr Stanley, 39, said.

He said the idea was to turn Arcade Lane into a “drinking and eating hole-meets performance space-meets burlesque house” during the Fringe.

“I’ve been to the (St Jerome’s) Laneway Festival numerous times and I’m aware of the market open to using urban spaces for things other than what they were designed for.

“It’s a great way to create a street vibe.”

Arcade Lane is open during the 50th annual Fringe Festival, from February 18 to March 14, 5pm till late. A launch party will be held on February 18 in the lane.

A new Adelaide
A rumour was doing the rounds a while back that Primo Caon was selling up, looking for someone to buy his landmark city restaurant Chesser Cellar so he could finally retire.

At 75, and after being a fixture in SA’s restaurant business for more than 40 years, even he thought it was time.

“I just put the feelers out to see what I would get for it,” he said this week.

Then he quickly changed his mind, because at the end of August, the Adelaide City Council decided to “pedestrianise” Chesser Street – between Grenfell and Pirie streets – along with French Street and Coromandel Place, which link together to form an H.

Work to exclude vehicle traffic from the precinct, notable for its 19th-century architecture, is due to start next July 1.

“(It) should have happened 20 years ago,” said Mr Caon, who is already making seating plans for guests to wine and dine under the Chesser Street vine pergola on warm summer afternoons and nights.

“That gives a lovely European feel that this area can really do with. That’s pretty exciting sort of stuff, it really is. So I’m sticking around.”

Mr Caon sees a comparison with the Melbourne CBD laneways, a narrow network of cafes, bars, restaurants, galleries and boutiques. “The more places there are around here, the better it is because it will be like Gouger Street.”

He and his restaurateur brother Cun – Primo and Secundo, first and second brothers – have often been the trendsetters in the Adelaide restaurant business. In 1971 they launched Charlie Browns, on Port Road at Hindmarsh, with the idea of offering fast food and a cheap glass of wine for the first time in Adelaide.

“On the opening night, not invited, Len Evans came in ... and it was great to have him there because he was the leader of the wine scene in Australia,” Mr Caon said.

“He stayed all night. Then we came back next morning to tidy things up a bit – it was a very late night, of course – and on the ceiling was, ‘Len Evans has been here’.”

Mr Caon bought Chesser Cellar in 1990. It quickly established itself as a clubby gathering place for business and government figures. And wine men – the likes of Len Evans, Max Schubert, James Halliday, Peter Fox, George Fairbrother and many others whom Mr Caon regards as good mates. “A quarter of them are dead.”

Mr Caon looks after himself better these days, well groomed, and always suave. “One or two glasses of red at the most a day, and it does help your blood pressure.”

As for his 75 years, he fended off a jibe he’d be carried out of Chesser Cellars in a pine box: “Let me tell you that Beppi Polese from Sydney, who’s 86, he’s still in the business and it’s a great credit to him ... You’ve got to be happy in what you’re doing.”

He has not closed off the possibility of one day selling up – with conditions attached.

“But with this situation occurring, let’s see where we go from there. I can see Adelaide come alive in Chesser Street under the vines.”

monotonehell wrote:This is probably all interesting news and such, but for the moment I can't get past the fact that their parents named them Primo and Secundo (first and second).

Wayno wrote:...Get builder owner buy-in...